System and method for managing on-demand test drives

ABSTRACT

A system and method for on demand test drives that can include managing a set of vehicle and worker resources in a resource management system; monitoring user browsing patterns of a customer on an online vehicle marketplace; receiving a test drive request from the customer, the request specifying a requested vehicle and test drive location; retrieving test drive availability options from the resource management system; setting a test drive appointment for a selected test drive availability option; coordinating worker and vehicle transport to a scheduled location of the test drive appointment; and delivering vehicle information during the test drive appointment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application that claims the benefitof U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 15/379,357, filed on 14Dec. 2016, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/267,024, filed on 14 Dec. 2015, both of which are incorporated intheir entirety by this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the field of automobiletest-driving, and more specifically to a new and useful system andmethod for managing on-demand test drives.

BACKGROUND

There are several online used-car marketplaces where users can browseand buy cars. However, one crucial element of buying a car istest-driving the car. Test drives are usually conducted at a car lot orcoordinated with an owner of a car. As a first problem, test drives arecompleted while sitting next to a salesman that is paid on commission.As a second problem, the user must find time to go visit the cardealership, which is inconvenient. Thus, there is a need in theautomobile test-driving field to create a new and useful system andmethod for managing on-demand test drives. This invention provides sucha new and useful system and method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the distributed resources of asystem in use;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a system of a preferredembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a method of a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of identifying new storage facilityregions;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of monitoring browsing patterns ofa customer;

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of generating a vehicle interestprofile and vehicle interests;

FIG. 7 is a detailed block diagram of scheduling a test drive with thecustomer;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic representations of variations oftransporting a vehicle and representative to a test drive appointment;

FIG. 9 is a detailed block diagram of delivering vehicle informationduring the test drive appointment;

FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of a proposed test drive route andcontextual alerts to a representative; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic representation of presenting preparatoryinformation to a representative during transport to a test driveappointment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the embodiments of the invention is notintended to limit the invention to these embodiments but rather toenable a person skilled in the art to make and use this invention.

1. Overview

A system and method for managing on-demand test drives function to offeran improved user experience where a user can test drive at a time andlocation of his or her choosing. The system and method are preferablyimplemented to facilitate operating a vehicle marketplace that allowstest drives but without mandating that a customer visit one particularlocation. The system and method can enable a distributed vehiclemarketplace that can operate independently of a centralized car lot. Themethod further functions to provide automated operational management ofmerchant resources when fulfilling test drive requests as shown inFIG. 1. The method can further provide automated applicationinteractions that function to improve the test-driving experience. Thesystem and method are preferably applied to the use-case of the sale andpurchase of used or new cars, but the system and method can be used inselling, leasing, or renting new or used motorcycles, RVs, trailers,boats, planes, construction equipment, and/or any suitable type ofvehicle. The system and method can be used in offering a test drive to apotential customer, but the system and method could similarly be used inmanaging resources for the vehicle marketplace acquiring vehicles orproviding quotes for vehicles. Additionally, one skilled in the artwould appreciate that aspects of the system and method may additionallybe applied to other forms of marketplaces benefitting from on-demandtrials, but herein used-car transactions will be used as the primaryexample.

One particular challenge addressed by the system and method is that ofsingle object delivery (e.g., delivering a car for a test drive). Theresources involved in selling a used-car can have several constrainingfactors: there is often only one instance of a particular car; at leastone representative is included in the test drive; a representative'stime is consumed during transport to the user, the vehicle showing, andthe return from the user location; only one car can be easily deliveredby a person at a time; and a car marketplace may serve a largegeographical area. In one variation, the system and method canadditionally account for providing representatives trained forparticular types of vehicles. Ensuring that trained representativefulfill particular test drives can add further logistical challengesaddressed by the system and method.

A system for managing on-demand test drives preferably includes aresource management system 110, an online marketplace 120, a customerinterface 130, and facilitator interface 140 (used by companyrepresentatives, salespeople, or others involved in administrating thetest drive) as shown in FIG. 2. The system is preferably implementedthrough an online merchant platform that is in communication withmultiple user interface instances. The merchant platform can be hostedin a remote cloud computing system, but can alternatively be hosted onany suitable computing infrastructure. The user interfaces instances,such as the customer interface 130 and the facilitator interface 140,can be a native application, a web-based application, or any suitabletype of user interface. In some variations, notifications andinteraction may be facilitated through existing communication channelssuch as email, SMS/MMS, messaging applications, social mediacommunications, or any suitable form of communication.

The resource management system 110 functions as a computing system fororchestrating resources used in the operation of the vehiclemarketplace. The merchant platform preferably includes an operationalcontroller, which includes business logic to manage and direct testdrive requests, facilitator instructions, inventory transport, and/orother suitable aspects relating to fulfilling test drive requests. Theoperational controller generates test drive notifications that canprovide instructions for representatives and/or vehicle sites. The testdrive notifications are preferably generated in response to a test driverequest received from a potential customer. In one variation, theoperational controller can include automatic resource managementfunctionality, which can initiate instructions and resource allocationdirectives in response to predicted demand. The merchant platform canadditionally host the resources to support a car marketplace includingcar information and media, which can be served to a customer interface130.

The online marketplace 120 functions as a portal for browsing andexploring vehicles offered through the vehicle marketplace. The onlinemarketplace 120 is preferably accessible through a website and/orapplication interface. The online marketplace 120 can enable searchingfor vehicles, saving/bookmarking vehicles, inspecting vehicle details,comparing vehicles, and/or other suitable features.

The online marketplace 120 preferably includes a customer interface 130through which the customer can browse automobile options, request a testdrive, receive updates, reschedule a test drive, change test drive timeand location, cancel a test drive, and/or interact with the car merchantin any suitable manner. In one variation, there can be multiple customerinterface types. There may be a website for browsing vehicles and anative application interface to interact with the customer during a testdrive. In one exemplary implementation, a customer will browse used carsand initiate a test drive request through a website. Notifications aboutthe test drive, such as expected arrival of the car, may be deliveredover SMS/MMS or other communication channels.

The facilitator interface 140 functions to provide an interface used bya representative or other workers of the marketplace. A representativeas used herein characterizes a worker that will interact with a customerduring the test drive. A worker could employ, a contractor, a volunteer,or any suitable class of worker that completes a task. A representativeis preferably notified of a test drive request with details such astime, location, customer details, car, and/or other instructionalinformation. The facilitator interface 140 can additionally providenotifications and information to help the representative provide abetter test drive experience. Car information that is relevant to thecustomer can be highlighted and delivered to the representative in acontext aware manner. Context aware information can be delivered throughthe facilitator app during a preparation stage, an in-person walkthrough stage, a test drive driving stage, a sale/discussion stage,and/or any suitable stage. A preparation stage can be defined as thetime window prior to the vehicle being at the site for the test drive.The preparation stage can include the time as a representative ispreparing to leave with the vehicle and/or when a representative istransporting to the test drive location. Transporting to the test drivelocation may include driving a car to the location of the customer orusing alternative means of transportation to arrive at the location(e.g., with the vehicle being transported through another means). Thefacilitator interface 140 can present information about the customer andthe vehicle to prep the representative. Such information can includecomparable vehicles, vehicle features of interest to the customer, othervehicles the customer is considering, financing information, and/or anysuitable information. A walk through stage can be information promptswhen the representative is giving an overview of the vehicle and itsfeatures. At this point the representative may be walking around thecar, inspecting various aspects, or sitting in the parked car. Thedriving stage is when the customer and representative are drivingtogether in the car. The facilitator interface 140 can display routeinformation, car information prompts, and other information usefulduring the driving stage. Such information may additionally oralternatively be exposed within the customer interface 130. Thesale-stage can include various information and tools to complete thefinancing and sale of the car.

2. Method for Managing On-Demand Test Drives

A method for managing on-demand test drives of a preferred embodimentcan include three stages when fulfilling a test drive: an initializationstage, a resource management stage, and a test drive experience stage.As shown in FIG. 3, the method preferably utilizes a resource managementsystem in combination with a vehicle marketplace in coordinating andconducting a test drive. The method can provide automation ofoperational approaches that may facilitate running an on-line anddistributed vehicle marketplace. The method preferably includes managinga set of test drive resources S110, monitoring browsing patterns on avehicle marketplace S120, scheduling a test drive with the customerS130, coordinating representative and vehicle transport to a scheduledlocation of the test drive S140; and delivering vehicle informationduring the test drive S150.

The initialization stage is preferably comprised of blocks S110 andS120, which can occur in preparation for a initiating a test drive. Theresource management stage is preferably comprised of blocks S130 andS140, which facilitates the coordination of resource using resourceconstraints and marketplace data-driven factors. The test driveexperience primarily comprises block S150, which relates torepresentative and customer interactions during a test drive. The methodcan include additional and alternative processes within each of thesestages. Similarly, the order and stage of a process may be modified, anda process may not be limited to only one stage. One skilled in the artwould appreciate that the method may be implemented with any suitablecombination of the described processes.

As a first objective, the method functions to enable on-demandtest-driving of a vehicle at a time and location convenient to a user. Auser can be alleviated of the inconvenience of arranging a time to visitthe location of a used-car to take a test drive. As a second objective,the method functions to improve logistics of a vehicle marketplaceproviding on-demand test drives. As discussed above, providing anon-demand test drive service requires the organization of multiple humanand physical resources. The method can function to coordinate suchresources. Furthermore, vehicles are a limited and valuable resource,and the method may be orchestrated to drive higher efficiency of sellingvehicles. As a third objective, the method functions to enhance thecapabilities of a representative to provide good customer service to acustomer during the test drive. Herein, the identifier of customer andmore specifically a potential customer is used as the identifier of theentity interested in purchasing or otherwise trying a vehicle—thecustomer may or may not commit to a final purchase.

The method is preferably implemented through a system including aresource management system, merchant platform, an online marketplace, acustomer interface, and a facilitator interface such as the onedescribed above. The method may alternatively be implemented through anysuitable system.

Block S110, which includes managing a set of test drive resources,functions to track and/or direct vehicle inventory and workers. The testdrive resources are preferably managed so as to increase efficiency ofconducting test drives and selling of vehicles.

A vehicle merchant executing the method can have several distributedresources that can be used to serve different test drive requests.Resources include vehicles and worker/personnel resources. Workerresources can include representatives (e.g., car enthusiasts that showthe car to a customer), mechanics, vehicle-prep personnel, internaldelivery drivers, and/or any suitable roles. In one variation, thevehicle merchant can include one resource site. A resource sitepreferably acts as at least a vehicle storage facility, but canadditionally or alternatively act as a worker station. For example, asingle site can house vehicles and be the base location for workers.More preferably, the vehicle merchant can include multiple resourcesites distributed in geographically distinct locations as shown inFIG. 1. The set of resource sites can have various resource capacities.For example, a first resource site in an urban area may have highrepresentative capacity and lower vehicle storage capacity, and a secondresource site in a rural area may have high vehicle storage capacity andbe allocated multiple vehicle delivery drivers.

The vehicles as described above are preferably automobiles. Herein,used-cars are used as a primary example of a vehicle, but any suitablevehicle type may be used. Used-vehicles or other types of highlycustomized or individual items can have the particular challenge in thatthe product is generally not interchangeable with another product whenbeing used in a test drive. A customer will generally want to test drivethe exact car they are considering before purchasing. In the case wherethe vehicle is a new vehicle, a particular vehicle option may beinterchangeable with other similar vehicles. For example, a customer maybe satisfied in test driving a new vehicle of a different color, model,and mileage before ordering a selected version of the vehicle. Theresource management system can preferably account for suchinterchangeability. In one variation, vehicles may be distributed andmanaged such that interchangeable vehicles are diversified acrossmultiple storage facilities.

Test drive resources can additionally include vehicle storagefacilities. A vehicle storage facility can be a parking lot, awarehouse, a car lot, a garage, street parking, and/or other facilitiesused to store a vehicle. Vehicles are preferably directed to be storedin various vehicle storage facilities based on demand. For example, onetype of vehicle may be stored in a first storage facility near higherpopulation of past customers of the first type of vehicle (e.g., peoplewho purchased a vehicle and/or test-drove a vehicle), while a secondtype of vehicle may be stored in a second storage facility near a higherpopulation of past customers of the second type of vehicle.

Managing the test drive resources preferably includes managing location,availability, and/or other scheduling aspects of the test driveresources. Managing of test drive resources preferably utilizes metricsbased on test drive requests, which can reflect current or futuredemands. Managing of test drive resources can additionally predict testdrive demand based on historical trends, browsing pattern data, and/orany suitable data source.

In one variation, the block S110 can include augmenting worker supply,which functions to increase or decrease the number of workers.Augmenting worker supply can include managing the current supply ofworkers through schedule adjustment, incentive adjustments, and thelike. Incentive adjustments may include changes in pay rate for testdrives or other work, priority for different tasks, or any suitable typeof incentive. Worker supplies can be augmented based on demands and morespecifically regional demands. Reports could be generated indicatingschedule- and location-based demand for workers to fulfill test driverequests. Augmenting worker supply could additionally or alternativelyinclude initiating automated recruitment tasks. For example, a joblisting for a particular region, availability, and/or skillsets couldautomatically be distributed. Additionally, particular types of workersmay be targeted during recruitment. In one variation augmenting workersupply can additionally relate to augmenting a specific type of workersupply by automatically initiating training of a worker. As onevariation of augmenting worker supply, training opportunities and/ortasks may be automatically distributed to qualified workers to increasethe skills of a worker supply so as to satisfy a demand.

Augmenting worker supply and/or more generally managing resources canadditionally factor in compensation and work scheduling for personnelresources. Test drives may experience higher demand on weekends andholidays and lower demand in the middle of the week. Demand canadditionally be differ based on location. Compensation incentives can beautomatically generated and used to encourage flexible work personnel towork at high demand times. Similarly, user feedback and reviews for testdrive experiences can be used to reward representatives. User feedbackmay be used in determining recruitment and management of work force.

In one variation, the block S110 can include identifying new storagefacility regions as shown in FIG. 4. The browsing patterns of blockS120, vehicle sales, scheduled test drives, and/or other factors can beused in determining where and when a new storage facility should beopened. Identification of a new storage facility may be generated in areport delivered to an administrator of the marketplace platform.Storage facilities can similarly be decommissioned when their storagecapacity is not needed.

Block S120, which includes monitoring browsing patterns on a vehiclemarketplace, functions to build a model of user interests while enablinga customer to browse available vehicles and request a test drive.Monitoring browsing patterns can include characterizing browsingpatterns of an individual customer, which functions to understand thespecific vehicle interests of a customer. Monitoring browsing patternsmay alternatively or additionally include characterizing browsingpatterns of multiple users of the vehicle marketplace, which functionsto build expectations of general users or types of users. In thisvariation, the browsing patterns of multiple users are monitored andthen transformed into a representative model of user browsing patternsfor all users or subsets of users. Herein, the approaches are describedas being applied to monitoring an individual customer but the variationsdescribed herein can be applied to both approaches as can be appreciatedby one skilled in the art. Monitoring browsing patterns preferablycomprises presenting a vehicle browsing interface in the vehiclemarketplace S122 and characterizing vehicle interests of a customer S124as shown in FIG. 5. Blocks S122 and S124 are preferably used to classifyand/or prioritize the various interests of a customer as it relates toone or more vehicles. Blocks S122 and S124 may additionally oralternatively be used in generating a vehicle interest level as a metricfor the seriousness, perceived value, purchase probability, and/orsuitable measure of customer priority. The browsing patterns can be usedto characterize interactions with a website or an application, but canbe more broadly applied to use of the platform which includes test drivehistory, vehicle purchase or selling history, or other suitableinteractions with the vehicle marketplace.

Presenting a vehicle browsing interface S122 can enable a customer tovisit a website and/or application and search, browse, and identity oneor more vehicles of interest. Presenting a vehicle-browsing interfacecan include providing search tools. Search tools can include resultfiltering tools, vehicle comparison tools, a vehicle saving feature,and/or any suitable feature. Presenting a vehicle-browsing interfacecould additionally or alternatively include providing a vehicle gallery.Other formats of a vehicle marketplace could additionally be used.

Characterizing vehicle interest S124 functions to classify and/orquantify a customer's interest in one or more vehicles. A profile ofvehicle interest can include a set of prioritized features and/or avehicle interest level. Prioritized features are vehicle features thatare expected to be more highly valued by a customer. For example, safetyand backseat entertainment may be prioritized features by one customerpurchasing a car for his or her family, and handling and horse power maybe prioritized features by another customer. Vehicle interest levelpreferably quantifies how seriously a customer is considering a vehicle.Vehicle interest level in one variation can be characterized as aprobability of a sale to a customer of a particular vehicle. The vehicleinterest profile is preferably customized for a particular customer.Additionally or alternatively, a vehicle interest profile can be basedon a subset of users. In one variation, the vehicle interest profile mayindicate what a majority of customers are interested in for a particularcar. For example, a vehicle interest profile for a hybrid may indicatethat gas mileage and safety are important prioritized features while aSUV may have prioritized features such as 4WD and sports packages.

Vehicle interests can be associated with an account of the onlinemarketplace. Accordingly, the method can include creating a user accountand preconfiguring account information. The account can be a useraccount used in authentication but may alternatively be an accountprofile which may be based on application instance or browsing instance.Preconfiguring account information can include receiving vehicleinterests of a customer, financing information, scheduling information,a set of possible test drive locations (e.g., home address, workaddress, gym address, etc.), and/or any suitable information. In someinstances, a user can actively set vehicle interests. For example, avehicle finding widget may collect information from a user on the listof features that are important in their vehicle purchasing decision.

Alternatively, the method can include collecting vehicle interestsduring use of the online marketplace, which functions to use behavioralanalysis to characterize the vehicle interests of a customer. A vehicleinterest profile is preferably generated as a customer navigates themarketplace as shown in FIG. 6. This may be done for a customer with orwithout an account. Collecting vehicle interests can include tracking:page or section views, user interface interactions (e.g., selecting viewoptions), information display duration (e.g., how long the customerspent looking at different information), information interest (e.g.,indicated by mouse hovering on information, expanding sections to readmore detail, and the like), explicit customer actions (e.g., starring,bookmarking, and/or sharing), and/or other actions. The customer profilecan be used in altering the test drive experience of Block S300 but canadditionally be used in enhancing the browsing experience or anysuitable aspect.

One variation may include tracking vehicle queries, which functions totranslate search queries into vehicle interest information. Basic searchqueries such as the name or a vehicle class, brand, or model ispreferably used to weight that particular vehicle interest. Filteroptions used to narrow vehicle queries can similarly be tracked and usedin generating a vehicle interest profile. For example, a query may bemade specifying “SUV” and then a user interface used to specify thequery filters of 2014 or newer and 4WD. In another variation, changingthe sort order of a query result may be used to set the prioritizationof various properties. Ordering results by descending year can indicatethe customer wants a newer car, and prioritizing results by ascendingprice can indicate the customer prioritizes a lower price.

In another variation, the navigation of the website and information canbe interpreted into vehicle interest signals. Viewing pages, scrollingand viewing content, mouse interactions with content, selecting to seemore information about a particular detail, and/or other information canbe detected and used in building a vehicle interest profile from whichprioritized features, vehicle interest levels, and/or other informationcan be extracted. In one instance, a vehicle detail view may includedifferent sub-views detailing different types of information, anddetecting navigation to different sub-views can be tracked and assessedas an indication of interest in the information related to thatsub-view. For example, a vehicle detail page may include an engineinformation section, a safety information section, and an in-carentertainment package section. Navigating to one or more of thosesections can be a signal of a customer's prioritization of thosefeatures and/or how serious they are considering the vehicle.

Some vehicle marketplaces (such as new vehicle marketplaces) may providevehicle customization features such as options for color, packages,and/or add-ons. Selection of such customization options can update thevehicle interest profile of a customer. For example, while customizing avehicle, the vehicle interest profile can be updated to indicate thatthe customer is interested in red and blue vehicles and 4 wheel drive.

In another instance, a vehicle marketplace can enable comparison of oneor more vehicles. The vehicles included in a comparison and/or theirorder in a comparison may be used in updating a vehicle interestprofile.

In another variation, the history of test drives (requested and/orscheduled), history of vehicle purchases, history of vehicle sales maybe used in modifying the vehicle interest profile. For example, the listof vehicles previously owned by a customer can be used as a strongindicator of vehicle interests. Similarly, the vehicles scheduled for atest drive can be a strong indicator of vehicle interest.

Generating a vehicle interest level functions to produce a metric withwhich the interest in one vehicle can be compared to at least one othervehicle. As one exemplary approach, the set of vehicles browsed by thecustomer can be ordered according relative interest level. The interestlevel can be generated by comparing the feature interests of thecustomer to the features of the vehicle. The vehicle interest level of avehicle is preferably increased directly related to the similarity ofthe set of features of the vehicle and the feature interests of thecustomer (e.g., greater similarity of a vehicle to prioritized featurescan result in a greater interest level). Similarly, the vehicle interestlevel of a vehicle is preferably inversely related to the set ofdiscrepancies or differences of the set of features of the vehicle andthe feature interests of the customer (e.g., interest level is decreasedfor a vehicle that has features that differ from the prioritizedfeatures of the customer). In one instance of such feature misalignment,the vehicle interest level is penalized when the vehicle is an outliercompared to other browsed vehicles. In some variations, a penalty forvehicle misalignment is applied when the vehicle is a higher valuevehicle compared to majority of vehicles browsed by the customer asshown in FIG. 6. Such vehicle misalignment may mitigate the occurrenceof a customer using the test drive to drive an expensive car with nointention of purchasing the car.

Block S130, which includes scheduling a test drive with the customerfunctions to arrange a time and location for at least one representativeto show a vehicle to a customer. The test drive is preferably scheduledat a location of the customers choosing such as at home or at work. Atest drive is preferably scheduled through a test drive requestinterface of the vehicle marketplace. When presenting a vehicle browsinginterface, a subset of vehicles can be marked as available for a testdrive. Indicating test drive availability for a particular vehicle canbe set based on the set of customer test drive locations, calendar ofcustomer availability, and/or resource capacity as determined throughresource management stage. For example, vehicles that are available tobe shown to a customer can include a visual marker or have a test driverequest button. In another variation, all vehicles can include a testdrive request button. Presenting a test drive request interfacepreferably functions to initialize a test drive request and coordinatescheduling of the test drive. When initializing a test drive request,the customer interface preferably coordinates with the merchant platformin setting location and time of the test drive. Scheduling a test drivepreferably comprises, receiving a test drive request from a customerS132, retrieving test drive availability options S134, and setting atest drive appointment for a selected test drive availability optionS136 as shown in FIG. 7. In one variation, the scheduling can besubstantially real-time where a user can see the availability of avehicle for a test drive based on a test drive location. The availableoptions are preferably calculated and supplied through the resourcemanagement processing stage. In another variation, the scheduling can beasynchronous wherein a customer supplies a set of time and locationoptions, and then a response is delivered indicating the test drivedetails.

Block S132, which includes receiving a test drive request from acustomer, functions to initiate scheduling of a test drive. An initialrequest preferably specifies a location set by the customer orassociated with the customer and at least one vehicle. Additionally, atest drive may indicate timing preferences such as customer availabilityor preferences (e.g., weekends, mornings, afternoons, and the like). Thecommunication flow of a request may be segmented into one or morecommunications. In a preferred implementation, a user specifies alocation, and then a set of availability options is retrieved and usedto update the test drive request interface. The test drive requestinterface can show various time windows of availability that depend onresource availability determined through the resource management stage.

Block S134, which includes retrieving test drive availability options,functions to determine a set of options for a test drive based on thestate of the test drive resources. Preferably, there multiple, differentavailability options are identified but in some cases there may only beone or no options available. Test drive availability options can bebased on the requested location for the test drive, any time constraintsspecified in the request, the availability of the vehicle, and theavailability of a representatives to conduct the test drive.

The availability of the vehicle may be dependent on other test drivesand the storage location of the vehicle. In the case of a where the testdrive can be performed with an interchangeable vehicle (e.g., a newvehicle), availability options may include options based on theavailability of one or more interchangeable vehicles. The availabilityof the set of interchangeable vehicles may be checked. The availabilityof the vehicle can then be compared against the availability of a workerto act as a representative.

The availability and suitability of various workers can then be accessedto determine if a one can act as a representative. Worker selection canbe prioritized based on skill level. Skill level can relate to amount oftraining, knowledge, sales history, seniority, or other suitablefactors. Preferably, the worker is selected at least partially based onthe vehicle interests of the customer and/or a skill profile (e.g., acharacterization of list of skills, skill level, and/or otherattributes). Representatives are preferably selected to show vehicleswith which they are more familiar. For example, a representative withexperience with sports cars can have a representative profile thatpromotes selection for higher end cars, while a representative withtrucks can have a representative profile that promotes selection fortruck and SUV test drives. Representatives may be automatically selectedby the resource management system. Alternatively, a set of selectedrepresentatives can be notified of the opportunity and at least one willpreferably accept the task.

Retrieving test drive availability options can include augmentingavailability determination, which may function to use a data-drivenapproach to offering test drives. Different vehicle types may benefitfrom different test drive options. The process of retrievingavailability options can be different for vehicles in high-demandcompared to vehicles with low-demand. The availability may be modifiedbased on browsing patterns of the customer, vehicle demand, historicaltrends, and/or other factors. In a first variation, the scheduleavailability may be modified which can include limiting test driveavailability options. For example, the availability of a high demandvehicle may appear more restrictive to a customer with a low vehicleinterest level. In a second variation, augmenting availability caninclude augmenting radius of vehicle availability. Vehicles willgenerally be restricted to particular geographic regions in their testdrive availability, because it would be too far to transport a vehiclefor a test drive. However, the radius of availability (or other suitablemetric for a geographic range of availability) may be dynamically setfor a vehicle based on various factors. The radius of availability couldbe decreased for a vehicle with high demand. For example, for twovehicles, the vehicle with the greater demand can have a smaller radiusof availability. The radius of availability could additionally oralternatively be based on the vehicle interest level of a customer. Theradius of availability of a vehicle could be increased for customer withhigh vehicle interest level. For example, for two customers, thecustomer with the higher vehicle interest level will be able schedule atest drive in a larger radius of availability. In another availability,the availability of workers can be altered so as to prioritizerepresentatives for higher priority test drives. Test drive priority canbe based on vehicle demand, the value of the vehicle, the vehicle saleshistory, and/or other suitable factors. For example, a very experiencedrepresentative may have availability biased for high value, difficult tosell vehicles over a low priority test drive of a mid range car with ahigh amount of supply.

Test drive availability options may additionally be augmented based ondemand. Vehicle in high demand could have more restrictive availabilityoptions, which may enable the test drives to be conducted at moreoptimal times for the operators of the marketplace such as not near rushhour.

In some cases, when determining availability, another customer may havealready scheduled a test drive for a vehicle. A test drive availabilityoption may include an indicator if an earlier or later test drive isscheduled. In some cases, a deposit could be requested to guarantee atest drive and an option to purchase a vehicle. Absent a deposit,another customer may purchase a vehicle or pay a deposit, which mayautomatically cancel the test drive.

In one variation, a test drive request may include multiple vehicles.Multiple identified vehicles may indicate possible vehicles for one testdrive. Multiple identified vehicles may alternatively indicate that acustomer intends to test drive all identified vehicles. Retrieving testdrive availability options may include weighting availability optionsbased on relative vehicle interest levels of the identified vehicles.For example, if a user indicates they would like to test drive threevehicles, the shown availability can be biased towards scheduling thetest drives in a decreasing interest level order.

Block S136, which includes setting a test drive appointment for aselected test drive availability option, functions to commit the testdrive resources for that test drive appointment and schedulingcoordination of worker and vehicle transport in block S140. The set oftest drive availability options are preferably communicated orsynchronized with the test drive scheduling interface. A customer canthen preferably select an availability option and confirm a test drive.When setting the test drive appointment, the test drive appointment ispreferably scheduled for a representative and a test drive vehiclewithin the resource management system. A confirmation of the test driveappointment may be sent to the customer, a worker assigned to facilitatethe test drive, and/or an owner of the vehicle (if the vehicle is stillowned by another party). Additionally, setting a test drive appointmentmay be accompanied by receiving payment for a test drive fee or deposit.Such fees may be made refundable or made transferable towards thepurchase of a vehicle. Once a customer has confirmed a test driveappointment, the customer can receive updates through the website, anapplication, email, SMS/MMS communications, and/or any suitablecommunication channel.

In one use-case, the purchase of a vehicle may involve the participationof multiple customers. For example, a husband and wife may both beinvolved in the purchase decision. The method can coordinate test drivetime and location availability between multiple customers. The methodcan additionally vehicle interests and other information about vehiclefeature priority can be stored and used during the test drive experiencestage.

Block S140, which includes coordinating representative and vehicletransport to a scheduled location of the test drive, functions to directtest drive resources so that a vehicle is successfully delivered to andoptionally returned from a test drive. Block S140 is preferablyperformed in response to a scheduled test drive but is preferably partof managing test drive resources of block S110. Coordinatingrepresentative and vehicle transport may include delivering test drivetask assignments. The test drive task assignments can be delivered as anSMS/MMS message, automated phone call, an in-app notification, anotification within a dashboard, or using any suitable communicationchannel. Test drive task assignments can include various tasks that maybe executed to fulfill a test drive. Test drive task assignments maydirect tasks for vehicle maintenance, internal resource delivery,vehicle test drive delivery, vehicle test drive return, representativeor worker transport, representative preparation, customer support,customer financing support, and/or other suitable tasks. Tasks may bedynamically updated with new information. Task assignments may be sentto a worker when a task is assigned. Updates may be communicated to aworker when a task assignment is added, modified, or canceled.Similarly, reminders may be sent to workers. In one variation, workersand/or vehicles are equipped with location tracking system (e.g., usingan application with background location tracking or by adding a physicaltracking device). Location can be used to account for resources before,during and after a given test drive. Location services can additionallybe used to determine when a task should be started (to account fortravel time) and/or to monitor that a task is on schedule.

Vehicle maintenance preferably includes tasks that are completed for avehicle prior to delivering the vehicle for a test drive. Vehiclemaintenance can alert workers at a vehicle storage facility to wash avehicle, fill the gas-tank or charge the vehicle, perform any mechanicalupdates, and/or perform any suitable work on the vehicle.

In some cases, an internal delivery task may utilize internal deliverydrivers (i.e., workers providing transport of a vehicle) to move vehicleand/or workers from one location to a second location. Internal deliverytask are preferably performed in preparation for a scheduled orpredicted test drive as shown in FIG. 8A. Such a preliminary vehicletransport task can function to increase operational efficiency ofmultiple resource sites. The transported workers could berepresentatives used in showing a car during a test-drive, otherinternal delivery drivers and/or any suitable resource needing transportbetween locations. Workers may be transported using vehicle inventory,but an outside transportation service may be programmatically ordered tofacilitate transport of workers between locations. The method preferablymodels out the availability and location of internal workers. The methodcan additionally model vehicle capacity, which can be used to movemultiple resources between resource sites. For example, multiplerepresentatives can be moved to a particular location central to severalupcoming test drives. Internal delivery of vehicles may be scheduled foroff-hours to avoid traffic and/or to distribute work of workers.

A vehicle test drive delivery task can additionally be used to transporta vehicle to a test drive location. A representative who will facilitatethe test drive with the customer may perform the test drive deliverytask. Alternatively, a vehicle can be delivered by a vehicle deliveryworker to a test drive location or near a test drive location, and therepresentative arrives through an alternative means of transportation asshown in FIG. 8B. In a second scenario, a customer may be interested intest-driving a second vehicle. The representative could stay on-sidewith the customer while a delivery task is issued to have the secondvehicle delivered. The second vehicle may be delivered to the same testdrive location, but the second vehicle may alternatively be delivered toa location along the test drive route, wherein a test drive experienceinvolves driving from one car to another. The internal work responsiblefor transporting the second car may additionally remove the firstvehicle.

The resource management system can additionally plan and coordinate thereturn of a vehicle after a test drive. A representative will preferablyreturn the vehicle to a specified location, which may or may not be thesame location the vehicle was last stored. In the case, where thevehicle is purchased or is not available for use by the representative,transport of the worker can be arranged.

In a test drive preparation task, the resource management system canallocate preparation time for a representative, which functions to givea representative time to familiarize him or herself with the vehicleand/or the customer. The preparation process can include various tasksand/or documentation. Tasks can include inspecting the car, watching avehicle overview video, reviewing vehicle documentation, reviewingcustomer financing. Such preparatory information can inform arepresentative of comparable vehicles, a set of vehicles the customer isconsidering, customer financing situation, interests of the customer(e.g., package options, engine size, etc.), and/or any suitableinformation. In one variation, a set of vehicle comparable vehicles aregenerated based on the vehicle of the test drive, the vehicle interestsof the customer, and/or other suitable factors. These comparablevehicles can be used in educating and preparing a representative, butcould additionally or alternatively be used when delivering vehicleinformation during a test drive appointment.

Other tasks such as customer support and/or customer financing supportcan similarly be assigned. In some cases, such tasks may be conducted byphone. The timing of calls can be coordinated with the timing of thetest drive. For example, a financing specialist can be scheduled to beavailable during the last portion of a test drive so that they couldassist in finalizing financing if needed.

Block S140 may additionally include notifying a customer of test driveupdates in response to managing test drive resources. A customer canreceive notifications alerts for time estimates of a test drive. Forexample, a user can receive a notification for when a test drive may bedelayed or when a representative will be arriving shortly for a testdrive.

Block S150, which includes delivering vehicle information during thetest drive, functions facilitate a test drive experience by providingassistive notifications and information that can promote an informativeand enjoyable test drive. A test drive experience can include variousstages such as an in-person walk through when a representative shows thecar to a customer, a driving portion of the test drive, and a finaldiscussion stage. During each stage a representative can be tasked withthe responsibility of educating a customer, answering questions,demonstrating or highlighting available options and features, as well asaddressing the financing and purchasing process. The delivered vehicleinformation can be used in assisting a representative. In some cases,the delivered vehicle information may be supplied based on the testdrive history, skills, and/or experience of the representative. Forexample, if the representative has never shown a vehicle, then morevehicle information can be supplied to provide more assistance. If therepresentative has shown the vehicle numerous times then lessinformation may be supplied except, for example, information that may beunique to that vehicle. Additionally, the delivered vehicle informationcan be specifically selected to target interests of the customer bydelivering vehicle information that is selected at least partially basedon the browsing patterns and/or vehicle interests of the customer.

Delivering vehicle information during the test drive can includesurfacing vehicular information through a representative interface S152.Surfacing can include presenting in a user interface, but mayadditionally include dynamically presenting in response to detectedconditions which may take many forms as shown in FIG. 9. Arepresentative will preferably have at least one computing device withan application or website. The application can include a vehicleinformation document that can be searched or otherwise navigated to findinformation about a vehicle. The application may alternatively include avehicle overview guide, which provides a walk through of the vehicle. Arepresentative can use the overview guide during the in-person stage ofthe test drive. The overview guide can be generic for the type of car,but can additionally be customized for the particular car or customer.For example, the car history can be built in to the guided tour andvarious aspects can be prompted based on the stage of the overviewguide. For example, if a car had a replaced bumper and an upgradedstereo system, a guided tour may include a prompt about the bumper whenthe representative is walking the customer around the car and mayinclude a second prompt for when the representative and customer aresitting in the car going over the various features inside the car. Othersorts of information may include comparisons to other vehicles. In oneinstance, vehicle information may include information customized for thecustomer based on other vehicles the customer is or may be considering.For example, the monitoring user browsing patterns may includeidentifying a set of alternative vehicles based on the browsing historyand/or vehicle interests, and then delivering information relevant tothose alternative vehicles within the representative's application. Inanother instance, vehicle information may include information customizedfor the customer based and/or vehicle features of interest to thecustomer. For example, the gas mileage for the current car and anothercar considered by the customer can be surfaced to the representative.Additionally, a representative interface can receive user input from therepresentative, which can augment or update the surfacing of vehicularinformation. The received user input may be used to supplement a vehicleinterest profile of a customer. For example, a representative may entervarious information about a customer such as feature preferences,considered vehicles, price range, preferred performance values,preferred vehicle features, and/or any suitable information.

Surfacing vehicular information through a representative interface canadditionally include presenting preparatory information to arepresentative during transport to a test drive appointment S154. In onevariation, automated speech and/or pre-recorded audio can be used topresent audio information concerning the upcoming test drive. Videoand/or textual information may additionally be available for when therepresentative is not driving. The amount of information and order canbe coordinated and synchronized with the expected arrival time at thetest drive location as shown in FIG. 11.

Surfacing vehicle information can additionally include, surfacingvehicular information in response to driving conditions S156, whichfunctions to deliver or present relevant information based on thedriving conditions as shown in FIG. 10. This is preferably performedduring a driving portion of the test drive but may alternatively be usedduring the transport stage as a form of representative preparation.Driving conditions can include current driving mode, location, or anysuitable condition. Driving modes can include basic driving scenariossuch as driving on local streets, opportunities for accelerating (e.g.,highway entrances), highway driving, driving on curvy roads, driving upand down hills, and/or any suitable driving scenario. Detecting testdrive conditions preferably depends on the sensing technology of thecomputing device. Location, speed, driving mode, nearby points ofinterest, and/or other aspects can be detected and used to conditionallyalert a representative to relevant information. For example, theacceleration capabilities of a vehicle may be played as the vehicleenters an on ramp to a highway.

Surfacing vehicle information based on the current driving conditionscan include generating a driving route and presenting the driving routeas shown in FIG. 10. Since the representative may be unfamiliar with theroads where the test drive occurs, a recommended test drive route may begenerated and presented for the customer to follow. Generating a drivingroute preferably identifies a route that will include opportunities forvarious driving modes. The driving route can be generated based on apreconfigured set of criteria. Alternatively, the driving route may becustomized according to a customer profile. For example, if the customerprofile indicates the customer is interested in a sports package andoptional bike rack, the driving route may identify a hilly road to showhanding of the vehicle in conditions potentially of interest to thecustomer. A driving route can additionally factor in estimated testdrive time, which functions to identify a route that does not last toolong. The duration can additionally be dynamic based on demand on therepresentative's time, demand for the particular vehicle, and/or anysuitable factor. The application can additionally regenerate an updatedrecommended route if the vehicle leaves the current route. As mentionedabove, information can be surfaced to the representative during thedriving portion of the test drive.

Delivering vehicle information during the test drive can additionallyinclude directing a purchase process through the representativeinterface S158. After being shown the vehicle, a customer can takevarious actions such as deciding to purchase the vehicle with cash,getting financing to pay for the vehicle, putting a deposit on the car,deciding to try another vehicle, passing on the vehicle, or deciding tomake a decision at a later time. The representative interface cangenerate required documents, collect customer information, and/orfacilitate the purchase process in any suitable manner. In some cases, acustomer can be given the vehicle and title at the conclusion of thetest drive. The operational controller can then arrange transportationof the representative to the next location. If the customer does notwant the car, the representative can use the vehicle to go to the nextlocation.

The method includes several variations on managing on-demand testdrives, which may be used in various combinations and permutations.

One implementation of a preferred embodiment can be initiated by:receiving an initial test drive request from a user; calculatingavailable windows constrained by the test drive resources ofrepresentatives and at least vehicle transport time; presenting theavailable test drive time windows to a user; confirming a test driverequest; and notifying a representative with information about the testdrive. The representative will drive the vehicle to the location of thetest drive, give an overview of the vehicle to the user, guide the userduring the driving portion of the test drive, and possibly providingcontextually relevant information during the overview and drivingportion. After, being shown the vehicle, the representative can walk theuser through the purchase process if the customer would like to buy,rent, or lease the car. This test drive process is preferably repeatedacross multiple distributed resources of a vehicle marketplace.

In one implementation focused on delivering relevant information, thebrowsing patterns of a customer can be monitored and used to drivedelivery of vehicle information during a test drive.

In an implementation focused on automating on-demand test drives, canutilize the management of test drive resources, scheduling of testdrives through an online marketplace and coordination of representativesand vehicle transport to test drive locations.

An implementation focused on driving sales, may monitor browsingpatterns of a customer on a vehicle marketplace and using extractedvehicle interest information and test drive resource constraints todetermine how to prioritize scheduling of a test drive and selection ofa representative for a test drive.

The systems and methods of the embodiments can be embodied and/orimplemented at least in part as a machine configured to receive acomputer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions. Theinstructions can be executed by computer-executable componentsintegrated with the application, applet, host, server, network, website,communication service, communication interface,hardware/firmware/software elements of a user computer or mobile device,wristband, smartphone, or any suitable combination thereof. Othersystems and methods of the embodiment can be embodied and/or implementedat least in part as a machine configured to receive a computer-readablemedium storing computer-readable instructions. The instructions can beexecuted by computer-executable components integrated with apparatusesand networks of the type described above. The computer-readable mediumcan be stored on any suitable computer readable media such as RAMs,ROMs, flash memory, EEPROMs, optical devices (CD or DVD), hard drives,floppy drives, or any suitable device. The computer-executable componentcan be a processor but any suitable dedicated hardware device can(alternatively or additionally) execute the instructions.

As a person skilled in the art will recognize from the previous detaileddescription and from the figures and claims, modifications and changescan be made to the embodiments of the invention without departing fromthe scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A method comprising: managing a set of vehicle and workerresources in a resource management system; monitoring user browsingpatterns on an online vehicle marketplace; receiving a test driverequest from the customer, the request specifying a requested vehicleand test drive location; retrieving test drive availability options fromthe resource management system; setting a test drive appointment for aselected test drive availability option; and coordinating worker andvehicle transport to a scheduled location of the test drive appointment.2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring user browsingpatterns on an online vehicle marketplace; and wherein retrieved testdrive availability options are at least partially based on the userbrowsing patterns.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein monitoring the userbrowsing patterns comprises characterizing browsing patterns of thecustomer.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein monitoring the user browsingpatterns comprises characterizing browsing patterns of multiple users ofthe vehicle marketplace.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein monitoringuser browsing patterns comprises generating a vehicle interest level ofthe requested vehicle using the user browsing patterns; and whereinretrieving test drive availability from the resource management systemcomprises augmenting availability of the requested vehicle based in parton the vehicle interest level.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein thevehicle interest level increases directly related to the amount ofinteraction with the requested vehicle on the vehicle marketplace. 7.The method of claim 5, wherein the vehicle interest level decreases withthe quantity of vehicle features of the requested vehicle that differfrom other vehicles inspected by the customer on the online vehiclemarketplace.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein augmenting availabilityof the requested vehicle comprises augmenting the availabilitygeographic range of a vehicle according to the vehicle interest level.9. The method of claim 5, wherein augmenting availability of therequested vehicle comprises artificially limiting schedule availabilityof the requested vehicle.
 10. The method of claim 1, whereincoordinating worker and vehicle transport comprises delivering testdrive task assignments to a set of workers, wherein the set of workersincludes at least one worker that is delivered a test drive taskassignment for acting as the representative during the test driveappointment.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein coordinating worker andvehicle transport comprises selecting at least one worker as arepresentative at least partially based on the skill profile of theworker.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of workers includesa second worker that is delivered a test drive task assignment forvehicle transport from a first vehicle storage facility to a secondvehicle storage facility.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein managing aset of vehicle and worker resources comprises identifying a region for anew vehicle storage facility based on a history of test driveappointments.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein managing a set ofvehicle and worker resources comprises automatically augmenting workersupply.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein automatically augmentingworker supply comprises managing a current supply of workers throughschedule and incentive adjustments.
 16. The method of claim 14, whereinautomatically augmenting worker supply comprises initiating automatedrecruitment tasks.
 17. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdelivering vehicle information during the test drive appointment,wherein the vehicle information is selected at least partially based onuser browsing patterns.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein retrievedtest drive availability options are at least partially based on the testdrive history of the customer.
 19. A method for a vehicle onlinemarketplace comprising: monitoring user browsing patterns on an onlinevehicle marketplace; receiving a test drive request from the customer,the request specifying a requested vehicle and test drive location;retrieving test drive availability options from a resource managementsystem, wherein retrieved test drive availability options are at leastpartially based on user browsing patterns; setting a test driveappointment for a selected test drive availability option, wherein thetest drive appointment is scheduled for a test drive vehicle; anddelivering vehicle information before or during the test driveappointment.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein monitoring the userbrowsing patterns comprises characterizing the browsing patterns of thecustomer and characterizing browsing patterns of multiple users of thevehicle marketplace.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein deliveringvehicle information during the test drive comprises delivering vehicleinformation that is selected at least partially based on the browsingpatterns of the customer.
 22. The method of claim 19, wherein deliveringvehicle information during the test drive comprises delivering vehicleinformation that is selected at least partially based on the test drivehistory of the representative.
 23. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising generating a set of comparable vehicles to the requestedvehicle; and wherein delivering vehicle information during the testdrive comprises delivering information of the set of comparablevehicles.
 24. The method of claim 19, wherein monitoring user browsingpatterns of a customer comprises identifying a set of alternativevehicles based on the browsing history of the customer; and whereindelivering vehicle information during the test drive comprisesdelivering information comparing the test drive vehicle and thealternative vehicles.
 25. The method of claim 19, wherein deliveringvehicle information during the test drive appointment comprisespresenting vehicular information in response to driving conditionsduring the driving portion of the test drive appointment.
 26. The methodof claim 19, wherein monitoring user browsing patterns comprisescharacterizing the user browsing patterns into a profile of prioritizedvehicle interests.